College Tours

Pathways College Tour takes students on a four day, three night fun and intensive tour, visiting five different colleges, including a public research university, a smaller public school, a private school, and a community college. At each destination, students visit classrooms, libraries, dormitory housing, bookstore, and lecture halls—they’ll even get to eat lunch in the campus cafeteria!

PIE’s College Tour provides high school students with a taste of the independence of college life and gives families the opportunity to start a dialogue about the student’s upcoming independence and responsibility. Participants come away from their experiences with confidence and resolve. Not only are they able to visualize themselves attending a university, but also develop goal-setting techniques, resiliency, and peer relationship development. Many participants that never dreamed of going to college, and many that will be the first in their families to attend, feel a deep sense of pride and motivation to pursue their education and achieve their dreams. Our research has shown that participants of Pathways College Tours apply to three times as many colleges as students who attend the same school did not go on the trip.

Students will get the chance to ask as many questions they like of their freshman tour guides about campus life, financial aid, and class schedules. In the evenings, students participate in workshops that will walk them through the process of filling out applications, obtaining references, and applying for financial aid, grants, and scholarships. Additionally, the tour will meet for evening workshops to discuss critical topics such as: